1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a small article storage caddy. More particularly it relates to a storage caddy which can be quickly and easily installed or removed from a patient support apparatus, such as a hospital bed or wheelchair, to allow convenient placement of small articles or necessities within the patient's reach.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been a recognized need to provide convenient bedside storage of small patient necessities and amenities while they are in confinement. Various holders with clips or clamps designed to engage bed railings, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,650,784, 4,431,154 and 4,831,673, have been designed in response to this need.
However, the prior holders have certain drawbacks. Because their attachment means are adapted for use with certain types of bed railings, no single holder can be universally used with the various types of patient support apparatuses. These prior holders also lacked the ability to be easily removed and reinstalled to allow for transfer with the patient, or to allow custom placement to suit each individual patient's needs. Additionally, the cost of these holders is generally prohibitive to disposable usage.
The bedside article bag disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,666 recognized and addressed some of the concerns with the previously discussed holders. This patent discloses an article bag comprised of two cloth flaps, each having a plurality of pockets, adapted for support in saddle bag fashion over a bedrail. A series of snap fasteners secure it to the bedrail. This bag still has serious limitations. It can only be placed at the limited locations along a bed rail where there are no intervening supports. In uses where the rail is not horizontally disposed, the bag can slide down the rail and out of reach. Additionally, the snap fastening means are inconvenient for removal and reinstallation. This makes the bag unsuitable for transfer along with the patient.
A nurse call device holder made of a flexible sheet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,367. The flexible sheet is wrapped around two parallel rails of a hospital bed railing and attached to itself with self-adhering textile strips such as Velcro.RTM. fasteners. A pocket attached to the front face of the flexible sheet holds the nurse call device. The disclosed holder is not adapted for universal use. Parallel bed rails set at a given spacing are required for its attachment. Additionally, it can only be installed at positions along the parallel bed rails which do not have interfering supports.